Some friends and I took a shuttle bus from the Marco Polo airport Friday at noon, and arrived in just under three hours. You are probably thinking, "Why on earth would you go there?"
The truth is I don't really know. But I can tell you that I probably never would have otherwise made it to Slovenia in my lifetime, and I am very glad that I did. Ljubljana was unlike any city I have been to in Europe yet. It was very small, with just a few streets and a river running through the center of the city. It was surrounded by gorgeous scenery. Snow-capped mountains are seen in every direction, and the famous Tivoli Park, which is just outside the center of the city is absolutely gorgeous and unique. It was freezing cold, but we walked around the city and caught an amazing sunset from the top of the Ljubljana castle, which was magical.
I didn't really know anything about this city before we went, except for that one of our advisors is from there, and she's pretty much the sweetest person you will ever meet. There is a whopping total of 2 million people in the country of Slovenia, but you wouldn't believe how proud they are. There is a fascinating history of all the people who have ruled over Slovenia throughout history, and it shows how much that has affected the dynamic of the country.
This trip really made me believe that sometimes, when you are unprepared for the visit and unsure of what you're going to do in a city, your stay becomes that much more enjoyable and exciting. Throughout this semester I have traveled everywhere with a very flexible guideline of things I wanted to do and see while I was there. For Ljubljana, I had none. But that is why I loved it so much because I had no expectations. I hadn't even ever seen a photo of the town or surrounding area. The man at our hostel gave us some recommendations of things to do, though. So we followed his lead and went to the gorgeous castle, took a walk through the park, went ice skating and took a day trip to Lake Bled. There was just one piece of advice that we chose to skip out on--eating horse burgers.
I really have become more adventurous with my eating since I have been living here, but really not THAT adventurous. I heard a guy once say that he refuses to eat anything that could potentially be on a post card. I could not agree with that statement more. Our hostel manager swore that these burgers were delicious and we had to try them, but I am sorry, eating a horse was just not on my agenda.
Though it was a random decision, the weekend ended up being a blast and the nightlife was insane. If you ever find yourself in Ljubljana, go to Cirkus. Sander Van Doorn, a fairly well-known Dutch DJ, happened to be playing the night that we were there, and we were front row until 4 a.m. It was very worth it, and we still had enough energy to make it to Lake Bled, hike, sightsee and eat traditional Slovenian "cream cake" the next day.
So while it may not be on everyone's bucket list, Slovenia would definitely be a trip worth while. It is beautiful when covered in snow and even more amazing in the summer (so I hear).
Lake Bled
Scenic Lake Bled
City Sunset
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